ITU-T Revised Rec. H.264(E):2005 “Advanced video coding for generic audiovisual services,” Feb. 28, 2005 (H.264V2), specifies that bitstreams not contain data that will result in certain quantities (or variables) overflowing 16-bits. However, the H.264V2 specifies no encoding methods to guarantee that the variables are not larger than 15-bits plus a sign bit. Conventional encoders do not specify a 16-bit limit on coefficients because bitstreams compliant with earlier drafts of the H.264-AVC Fidelity Range Extensions could contain 17-bit coefficients.
It would be desirable to have a method for coefficient bitdepth limitation that can be implemented in an encoder and/or bitstream generation apparatus.